Have you ever heard a speaker that you just “couldn’t get enough of”? Maybe it was a message that you had never heard and you were not only intrigued, you grew from it. Maybe the messenger was so passionate you were swept up in what was being said and it inspired or fueled a change in your life. Or maybe you were so “thirsty” the message met you in just the right time and place and sustained you when you were in need.
This passage reminds me of those distinct moments when God’s truth cuts through the routine of our earthly lives.
acts 13:13-52
In a nutshell, Paul has now begun the ministry to which Ananias had first announced to him. He’s speaking the “good news” to Gentiles, and their kings, and before the people of Israel. (Act 9:15) He and those traveling with have already traveled from Antioch in Syria through the island of Cyprus and north through Pamphylia for a stop in the Pisidian Antioch. *Hey don’t let the names of the towns distract you from the message. It’s much like traveling from Nashville, TN to Nashville, MI from the big city to the small town where God is sending them.
The message is long and it details God’s plan for redeeming sinful man, all the way from Moses to King David to the Messiah Jesus. That covers just over 1400 years of history if my math is correct. It encapsulates God’s plan for the Jews that understand the history of Israel and gives context to the Gentiles who have recently been invited to “the party”.
What captured my heart, which is another way for me to say “a worship moment” was sparked by the request of the synagogue ruler. (Acts 13:15) If you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.
Isn’t that what we all need every day? A message of encouragement.
It’s what we should be asking for from the Lord every day AND it is what we should be speaking to “the people” every day.
Lessons
So what was the encouragement? Short answer: Jesus. Paul says, “listen to me” in the NIV. In other translations, listen, please listen, or hear. In the orginal language the word hear takes us beyond simply hearing the sound to the understanding what you just heard. It would be much like that moment as an authority when you MUST get a vital message to people. You don’t need to them to just hear the sounds you are making, you need them to MOVE as a result of your instruction. (ie. LISTEN TO ME! The building is on fire and I need to to quickly take the hand of your child and lead them out of the building to the safe place where we are going to reconvine and count heads. Make sense? That is not a “wha wha wha wha…” announcement it’s a “let’s get this done right now” so we all help one another escape the danger kind of message.)
Let’s think about this for just a moment.
How can we best encourage someone? Send them flowers? Sure. Offer to watch their kids for an evening out? Absolutely sweet. Give them affirming words that will help them remember how special they are? Of course. But if these precious people are destined to be separated from God for all of eternity there is nothing better to be said than to give them the recipe for eternal life. That’s what Paul did! And the icing on this delicious cake….? Acts 13:42 the on their way out they asked for more. Please speak more! The buzz electrified the city because next week the whole town showed up.
challenge
I am with you. It sounds ridiculous to say let’s change the world. Let’s start in this town.
As if those kinds of things only happened to Paul.
BUT…
Same God.
Same message.
Same sinful humanity.
Same encouragement.
So let’s think of this challenge in a different way. We have a message of encouragement. If we follow Jesus we know Him and can share Him.
How can we elevate our encouragement to a level that will leave people asking for more?
How can we live and speak in such an unexpected way that people are both encouraged and intrigued?
That is for you and for me to pray and act on, in our own way, with God’s power, please speak!